@Hark_Ptooie Both fork legs should have a spring and a spacer.
You can make major improvements to the DTR suspension by running XT600 3AJ fork springs (same size but 20% stiffer) and 500ml per leg 15W oil (stock is 500ml 10W), this made my '98 DTRe jump and resist bottoming a lot better than the 2020 KTM 250EXC I also owned at the time. I was also running a YSS shock and to get it to match the upgraded forks I had to increase the preload by 16mm and run the rebound on position 29 out of 30. I weigh 150lbs and this setup gave 25% static sag at both ends, normally a good starting point for setting up suspension.
There are also aftermarket DTR fork springs available which some of the guys on here have had good results with @SpookDog